La Sierra University
07/09/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 07/09/2026 21:37
Constituents vote eight new trustees, president highlights opportunities, challenges
The 2026 quadrennial constituency session held on May 13 opened with a state-of-the-university report delivered by Arthur titled "A Place Worth Becoming." It outlined the institution's upward transition out of a decade of enrollment declines, a struggling internal culture and structural deficit, to a place of hope and focused mission encapsulated within a new, three-year strategic plan and fueled by enrollment gains, new initiatives, and national recognitions.
The session was anchored with a constituent vote that approved eight new trustees to fill board vacancies, ushering in expertise from the arenas of education, church leadership, law, professional sports management, healthcare, technology manufacturing, and behavioral health. Six current members were voted for additional board terms.
New and returning board members are as follows:
New trustees:
Margarita (Maggie) Carrillo-Blades
Maggie Carrillo-Blades is a psychologist practicing in the Riverside County Office of Education. She holds a BA degree from La Sierra University and an MA and PhD from the University of California, Riverside. Her extensive experience in K-12 education, along with insights from her Hispanic cultural heritage, will lend valuable perspectives to the board's work.
Karnik Doukmetzian
Karnik Doukmetzian recently retired as General Counsel of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, a position he had held since April 2009. He now serves in an Of Counsel position with the Office of General Counsel. He holds a BA from York University, Toronto, and a JD from the University of Windsor, Faculty of Law. He brings to the board significant legal expertise and extensive experience in denominational organizational management and leadership.
Sandra Fermin
Sandra Fermin is the Young Adult & Community Pastor of the Loma Linda Filipino Seventh-day Adventist Church. She holds a BA from La Sierra University and an MDiv from Andrews University. Her experience as a first-generation Mexican American living in the tension of belonging to both cultures, along with her professional pastoral experience, will bring a unique perspective to the board.
Brent Geraty
Brent Geraty is an attorney and independent consultant and formerly served as legal counsel at Andrews University and the University of Redlands. He holds an MA from Andrews University, a BA from Atlantic Union College, and a JD from Yale Law School. His years of experience specializing in legal and policy matters unique to Seventh-day Adventist higher education will be invaluable to the board's work.
Arnold Gutierrez
Arnold Gutierrez is a project manager and API (Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients) consultant with extensive experience on higher education boards. He holds a BA from Loma Linda University and a PhD from the University of California, Irvine. He is an advocate for shared governance and data-driven results, is committed to fostering faculty development and research opportunities, and is a longtime champion of La Sierra University.
Zareh Sarrafian
Zareh Sarrafian is the Chief Executive Officer of the Riverside University Health System. He holds a BS from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, and an MBA from California State University, San Bernardino. His years of experience in financial operations and long-range and strategic planning will be a valuable asset to the board.
Victor Tolan
Victor Tolan is the President and CEO of B&K Precision, a leading provider of reliable and cost-effective testing instruments used in manufacturing, aerospace and defense, energy, power, transportation, and other sectors. He holds an MS in Civil Engineering from the Technical University in Cluj, Romania, and an MBA from California State University, Fullerton. He is a longtime friend and supporter of La Sierra University and is a staunch advocate for higher education, serving on the boards of multiple charitable educational organizations.
Brian Wright
Brian Wright is the General Manager of the NBA's San Antonio Spurs. He holds a master's in sports business management from the University of Central Florida and a BS in business from La Sierra University. He has co-authored two books and is a frequent guest speaker at the Zapara School of Business, where he meets with and mentors students. Brian's team-focused, servant leadership style and emphasis on results will be an asset to the board.
Returning trustees:
Jeff Brand
Jeff Brand is a partner and cardiologist at Southern California Permanente Medical Group. He holds a BS from Atlantic Union College, an MS from the University of California, Riverside, and an MD from Loma Linda University School of Medicine. He joined the La Sierra University Board of Trustees in 2025 (completing the vacancy left by the departure of Trustee Don Williams) and currently serves on the Board of the Educational Quality Committee.
Nedd Brown
Nedd Brown is the Dean of Graduate Medical Education at the University of South Dakota. He is an alumnus of La Sierra University, where he earned an MBA, and holds an EdD from the University of South Dakota. He has a significant background in higher education administration and has also served for several years in the Adventist K-12 system as a teacher and as a principal. He has been an enthusiastic and engaging trustee over the past four years and was recently named Chair of the Board Educational Quality Committee.
Carmen Ibanez
Carmen Ibanez is the Executive Director of Pine Springs Ranch and also serves as the Associate Youth Director for the Southeastern California Conference. She holds a BA from Pacific Union College and an MDiv from Andrews University. She is deeply committed to her work with the young people of the SECC and to her work on the Board Educational Quality Committee and Strategy Committee. As a trustee, she continues to represent and advocate for students.
Kim Godfrey
Kim Godfrey is co-owner and operator of an independent dental practice in Lodi, California. She is an alumnus of La Sierra University and is a vocal supporter and advocate of Adventist education. A trustee since 2020, Kim recently became Vice Chair-Elect of the Board of Trustees. She brings a strong and effective voice that will help lead the board into the future.
Chris Oberg
Chris Oberg is the CEO of Path of Life Ministries, a nonprofit agency serving unhoused, challenged youth and families in the greater Riverside area. She previously served for 13 years as Lead Pastor of La Sierra University Church. She joined the La Sierra Board of Trustees in 2025 (filling the vacancy left by the departure of Trustee Kent Hansen), where her background and expertise in the higher-ed church community have helped inform and advance the board's work.
Adrian Serna
Adrian Serna is the Operational Finance Executive at Adventist Health. Serving on the board since 2019, he recently became Chair-Elect of the Board Finance Committee, where he continues to lend his extensive financial expertise. He is dedicated to ensuring that the university continues to find ways to create and maintain demonstrable measurements for success.
Opportunities in challenges
In his report, Arthur provided an overview of the institution's recent history and noted the stabilizing expertise of interim President Richard Osborn who served in the position for eight months prior to Arthur's arrival as president on July 1, 2024. The current environment presents both challenges and opportunities, Arthur noted--challenges established with prior multi-year enrollment declines, significant budget shortfalls and current federal funding uncertainties, and opportunities through hybrid online learning models, new degree programs, scholarships and funding initiatives that will propel the university toward its goal of enrolling 3,000 students by 2035.
In Fall 2025, the university moved the needle--reversing a 10-year enrollment drop, it experienced a 26% increase in new freshmen, a 38% increase in new graduate students, a 24% total increase in new students and an overall enrollment jump of 5%.
Arthur also cited the university's statewide and national recognitions for its strong missional emphasis on a transformative student experience, in particular for those facing steep challenges. In 2026 best colleges rankings, U.S. News & World Report ranked La Sierra University at No. 3 in 15 western states for Social Mobility and the Wall Street Journal ranked the university No. 35 out of 584 nationally in the same category.
"We are the place where potential is harnessed, where everybody becomes what God has created." - La Sierra University President Christon Arthur
"We know it's not only about attracting new students, but making sure they feel confident in their abilities, their capacities, in their potential," Arthur said. "We are the place where potential is harnessed, where everybody becomes what God has created."
Arthur described the current higher education landscape through the lens of an industry term known as VUCA--volatile, uncertain, complex, ambiguous--a scenario worsened by the long-predicted demographic cliff resulting in a significant decline in college applicants nationwide.
"We should not simply react [to challenges], but we should have clarity and discipline about what we do next and that's the approach we're taking," Arthur said. "One of those approaches is to make ourselves more competitive and affordable and have a wider reach."
The university has been making inroads in remote learning offerings. In January, the Zapara School of Business launched its fully online MBA in healthcare management program in California and the School of Education provides a fully online graduate program. Additional online courses have been developed and the H.M.S. Richards Divinity School in June launched it first doctoral program in hybrid format with a first cohort of 18 students.
The completion of a unique one-page, three-year strategic plan included the development of new university core values and five priority areas with associated KPIs that are tracked in weekly open meetings. A strategic planning committee guides the overall implementation of the plan, which is based upon proven business models common in the corporate world.
"We are changing the way that we do business, the way that we think, the way that we act," Arthur said. "We came up with our core values, the things we want to be known for. We want to be welcoming. We want to serve well. We want to live with distinction. We want to strive for excellence. We want to act in ways that are decisive. We want to be accountable. We think as we put those into practice it will help us to navigate the challenges that are ahead of us."
He noted initiatives that support students and campus members such as development of a mentorship program, exploration of spaces for commuter students and new, affordable housing options for employees, the launch of the Office of Philanthropy's $1,000 for 1,000 campaign to bolster the emergency student aid fund and the new HOME@LASIERR Endowment, a $2 million campaign which will provide a college education and housing to youth transitioning out of foster care, beginning in Fall 2026.
"Looking ahead we will be academically relevant, financially resilient, grounded in mission," Arthur said. "La Sierra University is a Seventh-day Adventist university. We believe in the beauty of our dreams, our strategy and plans for this place, and we know that at La Sierra University, we are doing God's work."
Additional reports from Chief Financial Officer Steve Hemenway, then-Interim Associate Provost for Strategic Initiatives Marni Straine, and Chief Information Officer Scott Martell highlighted respectively the university's debt reduction through strategic initiatives and a strong balance sheet; details about the HOME@LASIERRA scholarship initiative that provides comprehensive support, housing and education to former foster youth; and the university's migration to a Microsoft-based platform.
La Sierra University published this content on July 09, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on July 10, 2026 at 03:38 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]